CONTEXT Since varicella vaccine was first recommended for routine immunization in the United States in 1995, the incidence of disease has dropped substantially. However, national surveillance data are incomplete, and comprehensive data regarding outpatient as well as hospital utilization have not been reported. OBJECTIVE To examine the impact of the varicella vaccination program on medical vi...

An unimmunized 19-month-old child presented with a retropharyngeal abscess and coincident varicella infection. The abscess resolved with operative drainage. This is the first published report of this connection, although varicella is known to be associated with abscesses in general. Practitioners should be aware that cervical abscesses may complicate varicella infections.

OBJECTIVE To examine trends in varicella and herpes zoster (HZ) hospitalization following the availability and subsequent National Immunization Programme funding of one-dose varicella vaccination in Australia. METHODS Varicella vaccination coverage for children born between 2001 and 2009 was obtained from the Australian Childhood Immunization Register. Principal or any coded varicella or HZ h...

OBJECTIVE In February 2008, we alerted the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to preliminary evidence of a twofold increased risk of febrile seizures after the combination measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV) vaccine when compared with separate measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) and varicella vaccines. Now with data on twice as many vaccine recipients, our goal was to reexamine seizure ris...

BACKGROUND In 2004, routine varicella vaccination was recommended in Germany for children 11-14 months of age with one dose, and since 2009, with a second dose at 15-23 months of age. The effects on varicella epidemiology were investigated. METHODS Data on varicella vaccinations, cases and complications were collected from annual parent surveys (2006-2011), monthly paediatric practice surveil...

BACKGROUND Varicella is a common childhood disease. Only 5% of first varicella-zoster-virus infections occur asymptomatically. Most data on the burden of varicella stem from health service databases. This study aims to provide insight in the burden of varicella from a parent's perspective including cases outside the healthcare system. METHODS An internet questionnaire was developed for parent...

Persistent multiple pulmonary nodules were observed on the chest X ray of a nonimmunocompromised woman 6 months after she was treated with acyclovir for a varicella-related myelitis without respiratory symptoms. Early antiviral therapy given for varicella infections might decrease the intensity of clinical symptoms without actually preventing the occurrence of varicella-zoster virus-related les...

Varicella (chickenpox) is a highly contagious disease caused by varicella zoster virus (VZV). After infection, the virus remains dormant in sensory dorsal root ganglia. Reactivation of latent VZV is associated with cutaneous disease occurring in $1 dermatomes, termed herpes zoster (HZ). Historically, HZ has been considered significantly less infectious than varicella and has not been thought to...

INTRODUCTION Varicella is an acute disease with significant morbidity. However, there is little knowledge on the seroepidemiology of the disease in Singapore. The objective of this study was to assess the seroprevalence of varicella zoster virus (VZV) antibodies in military recruits in Singapore and to ascertain the predictive value of a self-reported history of varicella. The latter is a possi...

Background.  In the United States, measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella immunity is now primarily achieved through vaccination. Monitoring population immunity is necessary. Methods.  We evaluated seroprevalence of antibodies to measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey during 2009-2010. Results.  Measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella se...